The number of consumers in the UK who shop regularly at department stores has fallen by nearly six million in the five years to 2014. The closure of TJ Hughes stores, poor general merchandise performance from M&S and fluctuating sales from Debenhams and House of Fraser have contributed to the decline.

Key Findings

Through being informed of the opinions of your customers, understand which aspects of your retail proposition most need improving

Use this report to identify which consumers are less likely to shop with you and adapt your offer to improve your appeal with these shoppers

Use our cross-sector shopping data to benchmark yourself against rivals and learn which areas need to be better promoted or improved to drive traffic

Synopsis

Just under one quarter of all department store shoppers use the channel for homewares. However, with exceptional improvement in the housing market throughout the course of 2014, we do expect shopper levels to revive, particularly since the likes of John Lewis have heavily invested in the sector.

Beales has the lowest score for cross-sector shopping. Much of its store portfolio is in need of refurbishment, while many departments have a lack of choice with often incoherent ranges, which causes frustration and a lack of willingness to browse the full store.

M&S is ranked it as the most shopped department store in 2014, followed by Debenhams and John Lewis. The retailer's ubiquitous offer and broad price architecture allow it to reach a very large audience, aided by the size of its store portfolio. However, despite maintaining its leading position, the percentage of shoppers has fallen.

Reasons To Buy

What proportion of shoppers use department stores? How has the profile of department stores shoppers changed and what has caused this?

What are the most shopped sectors at department stores and why? What do retailers need to do to boost cross-sector shopping?

Which department store retailers have gained and lost visitors? What is the shopper profile for each of seven department stores profiled?

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